


In the Woods Somewhere

by ADreamIsASoftPlaceToLand



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: But he's trying, Marc might be an idiot, Talfryn is a bean, a soft boy, and i adore him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 11:15:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19392988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ADreamIsASoftPlaceToLand/pseuds/ADreamIsASoftPlaceToLand
Summary: psithurism - the sound of wind rustling leaves





	In the Woods Somewhere

**Author's Note:**

> requested by Tumblr User @the-l-spacer  
> title is from the Hozier song of the same name

Talfryn sighs as Marc goes on and on about the newest monster he’s found for them to face. They’re on their way through the woods outside the Second Citadel, and Talfryn is trying to ignore the pit in his stomach as he listens to Marc ramble on, imagining the dramatic and heroic battle to come. 

He tries to drown out the sound of his brother’s voice, and instead listens to the sounds of the woods around him. He loves his brother, but sometimes he wishes Marc would just… Take a break? They go from one monster to the next, in a desperate chase to attain the respect of knighthood that Marc wants so badly. Needs so badly. 

Talfryn used to want that, too. Now… This is what he wants. To wander through the woods, to study the plants, make friends with the animals. Everything has a place in the world, and Talfryn can no longer stomach the idea of upsetting that balance, of extinguishing one of the beautiful lights that illuminates the world around them. 

Instead, he listens. Listens to the sound of leaves crunching under his horse’s feet. Listens to the chittering of two squirrels playing in a nearby tree. The sound of the babbling brook they crossed a few minutes back. These woods, where he can exist in peace and quiet, surrounded by the noises of nature and wildlife, are his home. He could spend the rest of his life sitting under a tree here and be completely content. He doesn’t need to fight monsters to feel alive. He just needs this. 

He must be zoned out for longer than he thinks, because suddenly Marc has pulled Dampierre up next to him and is knocking on his head. “Uh… Tal? You still in there, bud?”

Talfryn shakes his head as his senses snap back onto his immediate surroundings. “Huh? Oh, yeah… Sorry, Marc. I was just thinking, I guess.”

Marc chuckles. “Thinking about kicking some serious monster butt? Come on! The faster we go, the faster we can get there and show that kraken just what two knights of the Second Citadel can do!”

Marc spurs Dampierre forward, leaving Talfryn behind. “Yeah…” Talfryn says under his breath. He looks forward as his brother gallops off into the distance, and then he halts his horse, taking a moment to listen to the sound of the wind as it rustles the leaves that hang over his head. Then, he urges his horse on and gallops off after his brother.


End file.
